Elegant Bombay Budapest brings contemporary Indian cuisine to the city

Four Indian friends have come together to create a joint venture in Budapest, a restaurant that is sure to gain the recognition of the international and increasingly demanding Hungarian audience: Bombay Budapest.

The business quarter around downtown Lipótváros has seen continuous investment and rebuilding in the last few years, the Erzsébet tér-Basilica-Parliament triangle now very much a high-quality gastro centre. The latest gem is Bombay Budapest, which should prove a great success after its quiet and restrained opening.

First things first. Bombay Budapest is authentic. In addition to the owners, the nine-person kitchen staff also came from India. At the same time, Indian gastronomy is far from uniform – how could it be in a country of this size? – as not only every region but almost every household has its own flavours. The marked sharpness typical of south India, for example, is counterbalanced by the sweet tastes of west India.

Contemporary Indian gastronomy

Over the last 25-30 years, Indian gastronomy has developed at a rapid pace, partly due to European influence, partly due to the fact that discerning domestic diners are frequenting more and more restaurants in their leisure time.

At Bombay Budapest, these kinds of developments can be seen in practice, a more open quality, which, building on traditional foundations, includes the careful, varied and intelligent integration of cuisines of other nations.

One of the best examples of this is the fish soup with a silky and intense taste called Bombay seafood chowder (HUF 1,900), which is most reminiscent of French bouillabaisse, an excellent blend of French and Indian cuisine. Prawn and black cod, black and Venus mussels, and St Jacques scallops, combine in a complex, cream-cooked mix made with coconut milk and served with a slightly peppery spur leaf, all in a crab shell base.

Varied contemporary Indian cuisine also results in dishes of wider and more exciting flavours, even among vegetarian appetisers, where restrained spiciness allows all the ingredients to prevail. Such is the case of tandoori bharwan aloo (HUF 2,500), stuffed potatoes with seeds, raisins, cheese and tomato chutney served with mint and side dishes.

As a main course, we tried the tandoori lamb chops (HUF 3,800) made in a red, sweet-chili marinade on a hot iron plate. A pleasant spiciness was balanced by the refreshing citrus and richly tasting stock, and lightly roasted carrots.

We also sampled the paradise style chicken biryani (HUF 3,200), an Indian meat risotto, simply put. Chicken, basmati rice, fried onions and cashews, together with the spicy-vegetable yoghurt raita served alongside, show off their flavours.

And for those who want to taste as much as possible in one bowl, we recommend the Thali menu (HUF 2,900-3,900), available weekdays 11.30am-3pm, ’the essence of the Indian communal eating ritual’. This involves chicken curry, black lentils, vegetable curry paneer, raita and beetroot halva (fig-blueberry-honey-beetroot), jasmine rice, naan bread and papadams.

In addition to a quality wine list, the bar’s sophisticated cocktail offer and range of gins personify attention to detail – renowned Budapest parfumier Zsolt Zólyomi advised on the fragrances.